Napier University has awarded £600k funding to the BRE Scotland Innovation Park from their European Regional Development Fund that supports Scottish low carbon projects.

The funding from the ERDF via Napier will allow companies at the forefront of low carbon research to demonstrate and test their innovations in a real life setting on the Innovation Park which is currently under construction at the former steelworks site at Ravenscraig, in North Lanarkshire.

Rufus Logan, director of BRE Scotland, said: "The Scottish construction sector has seen some tough times in recent years, and this initiative offers some much needed support for the industry. "Scotland has a proud tradition of innovation and this funding will allow us to showcase what Scottish companies are doing to help the fight against carbon emissions and climate change and ultimately create a greener economy for Scotland."


BRE Scotland won the funding through a competitive tender process and has been allocated the funding to develop four houses that will demonstrate up to 80 technologies that can improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. It expects that the cash will help to bring in a further £2 million from private sector investment to the Park. Napier’s Institute for Sustainable Construction will oversee the scheme, which is also being supported by Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council.

Director of the Institute, Sean Smith said: "The importance of low carbon building technologies has been highlighted in the Governments economic strategy for the future benefits for exports and sector growth. The EU Directive towards low carbon, the rising energy costs for home occupants and the export potential provide a strong basis to link with the Innovation Park to maximise the benefit for Scotland’s future housing and construction products sector."

The homes are intended to tackle issues including affordability, the use of recycled materials and sustainable construction methods.Ravenscraig is a major regeneration project. The £200 million first phase is nearing completion, including a regional sports centre, Motherwell College campus and 850 houses.

(GK)